What a mile really costs
Every "how much do drivers make" number depends on one buried assumption: what you count a mile to cost. Counting only gas makes your pay look good. Counting the real cost of running the car tells the truth. Here is exactly how DriverStack does the math.
Last updated June 2026 · Methodology: fuel-only cost vs the IRS 2026 standard mileage rate, applied to driver-entered miles, pay, and hours.
Two honest ways to count a mile
DriverStack lets you pick the cost model in Cost assumptions on the calculator. The two modes answer two different questions.
Counts just the gas you burn: miles ÷ MPG × price per gallon, plus any small per-mile wear add-on you set. It answers "what did this shift cost me in gas right now?" It deliberately ignores the slow costs — the car wearing out, the next set of tires, the insurance, the eventual repair. It will overstate your real hourly.
Counts 72.5¢ for every mile driven. This is the IRS 2026 business standard mileage rate, and it is built to cover the fixed and variable cost of operating a vehicle — fuel, depreciation, maintenance, insurance, and tires — in a single number. It answers "what is this mileage really costing me to keep driving?"
Because 72.5¢ already includes gas, DriverStack does not add fuel on top of it in this mode — that would double-count the gas.
What the IRS 72.5¢ rate includes
The IRS sets the business standard mileage rate from an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating a car. For 2026 it rose 2.5¢ to 72.5 cents per mile (IRS Notice 2026-10), effective January 1, 2026. The single rate is meant to stand in for all of this:
- ⛽ Fuel
- 📉 Depreciation
- 🔧 Maintenance & repairs
- 🛡️ Insurance
- 🛞 Tires
- 🔋 Applies to EVs & hybrids too
The same 100 miles, two answers
Assume a car that gets 28 MPG with gas at $5.00/gal. Here is what 100 miles costs under each model:
| Cost model | Cost of 100 mi |
|---|---|
| Fuel-only (100 ÷ 28 × $5.00) | $17.86 |
| Full cost — IRS 72.5¢ (100 × $0.725) | $72.50 |
| Cost fuel-only hides | $54.64 |
On an 8-hour shift that drives 100 miles, that hidden $54.64 is $6.83/hour that fuel-only quietly adds to your apparent pay — money that is really going into depreciation, tires, and the next repair bill. That single choice can move a shift from "above minimum wage" to "below" it.
Which should you use?
If you want to know whether driving is worth it as a job — whether it beats California minimum wage once the car is paid for — use full cost (IRS 72.5¢). If you just want today's out-of-pocket gas, use fuel-only. DriverStack defaults to full cost because that is the number that actually predicts whether you are getting ahead.
See your real hourly with both fuel-only and full IRS cost. Takes 30 seconds.
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